The Rice women's tennis team won its sixth Conference USA title in the last seven years with a 4-2 win over Old Dominion at the George R. Brown Tennis Center on Sunday. The win propels the Owls to their eighth consecutive NCAA Women's Tennis Championship appearance.

"(We) showed a ton of heart, a ton of grit, a ton of perseverance," coach Elizabeth Schmidt said. "Losing the five first sets and coming back and gritting out this match; it's a testament to that group. They've worked so hard and they've grown so much and I am just so proud of them. I'm so happy they could get this win today and see the heart and fight and see how good they really are."

Rice's seven conference titles are the most of any school in C-USA women's tennis history. Its eight straight NCAA bids is the longest active streak at Rice.

The Owls will next await the announcement of the 2019 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship bracket on April 29.

"There was so much emotion, it was like a roller coaster the whole match," said sophomore Michaela Haet, who clinched the title with her singles win. "I wanted it so badly for the team. It was such a good feeling to get the win."

Glynn A. Hill covers Rice and Houston-area college athletics for the Houston Chronicle, joining the paper in September 2015. A graduate of Howard University, he previously worked internships at organizations including the Associated Press and USA Today.